Just as I was going to leave, he spoke, "This world is no longer the same world that you remembered."
I sit back, listening to him seriously.
"I must warn you that whatever I'm going to tell you is beyond the realm of ordinary.
But before we begin, I want you to tell me what happened at that mountain. Everything about it. Understand." He said with a serious expression.
I nodded and start telling him about everything.
About how I got my interest in this place, how we reached here, how everything went blank after a loud sound, and then a landslide started… somehow I was saved and got unconscious...
. . . . . .
"… When I asked that lady about today's date, she told me that today is 1st March. Hearing this, I was very shocked, and after that, a soldier came to take me to you."
After listening to everything I had to say, he was silent for a few seconds. Though his expression is still the same, stoic and commanding, I can now sense a little bit of softness in his eyes.
SIGH
"I think it's my turn now, huh." His voice seems little distant, like he is remembering about something.
Then he begins.
. . . . . .
"BOOOOOOM"
Yes, that was the sound. The one that swallowed the entire world.
It was not just heard in our country or our continent; it was heard all around the world.
Right after that sound, it was like the world stopped breathing. Everything froze. For a moment, no one spoke, no one moved. And then… chaos.
Some people fainted in the streets, old men died where they stood. Cars lost control, planes fell from the sky, and families were wiped out in seconds. Everywhere screams, smoke, and confusion.
But that wasn't the worst part… thousands of people vanished.
Just gone. No traces, no signs, nothing. No idea where they have gone, or if they are even alive or not.
When the government appeared, they tried to contain the chaos, but by the time they could act, the world had already changed."
. . . . . .
A chill crawled down my spine. The captain's word felt heavier than the silence that followed.
Before I can ask something, he continued, his eyes burning with something between fear and… awe.
. . . . . .
"The government named that day 'Vicyuta Day'.
The world leaders wanted something to distract people from this tragedy, from their fear, from the loss. And they got it – something new, something extraordinary.
On the same day thousands vanished, something else appeared. The scientists called it a new form of energy, one that the Earth had never known before.
They named it 'Ojas'.
It wasn't like ordinary energy. Not nuclear, not solar, not anything we've ever harnessed. Ojas was different – powerful beyond measure, yet strangely pure.
Since that day, traces of Ojas have been appearing all over the planet."
. . . . . .
I frowned. "But how is all of this related to my seven months of unconsciousness?"
"You should learn some patience, boy. And don't interrupt me." He gave me a glare and then continued.
. . . . . .
As soon as people's attention turned toward Ojas, a new kind of terror began spreading.
Only two weeks after the Vicyuta day, strange reports started flooding in. People who had survived the event began collapsing one by one.
At first, everyone thought it was temporary, that they'd wake up in a few hours or days. But they didn't.
Within thirty days, almost every person under the age of fifty and above the age of thirteen had fallen into the same deep, inexplicable sleep.
Days became weeks, and soon, months. Those who had fallen unconscious remained that way, still breathing, but lifeless in every other sense.
The government imposed a lockdown. Stepping outside was banned. Those still awake were ordered to assist in caring for the unconscious, as medical teams tried to understand the spreading phenomenon.
But something strange was noticed, among all the people who had collapsed… none of them were ill. None were weak, injured, or elderly. They were the healthy ones.
After three months, the first person finally woke up. Then others were followed by him.
But those who returned from that coma-like stage were not the same as before.
They were stronger – both physically and mentally.
Some were able to lift 300 kg weights easily, while others were able to bend the spoon with telekinesis.
Researchers named this deep sleep phase a 'Pariama' phase. An evolutionary phase of humankind.
Religious groups, on the other hand, claimed it was a divine blessing, a reward for enduring the punishment that had fallen upon the world.
Later, it was discovered that these changes are due to the presence of Ojas energy in the environment.
It was increasing the amount of life essence, 'Prana', inside our body, resulting in its strengthening."
. . . . . .
"Even after seven months, there are still many people who are in their Pariama stage, and I believe you were also undergoing your evolution in the past seven months and recently woke up."
Hearing all this, Hira was completely shaken.
For a long moment, he just stared at the captain, his mind refusing to accept the words echoing around him.
Seven months… the world slipping into silence… people falling into deep sleep.
He felt something twist inside his chest, fear, grief, disbelief, all tangled into one unbearable weight.
He had been lying there while everything changed, while the world he knew crumbled into something unrecognizable.
And then another thought hit him like a blade – his family.
Were they alive? What if they had been among those who had vanished? What if they had been in a deep sleep? Who was taking care of them during this time?
And there is also his brother, Yash. Was he there in the landslide, or was he among those who have disappeared? And if he had disappeared, then where had he gone?
Though the captain's words answered some of his questions, they left room for new ones.
A.N. - VICYUTA means the day of disappearance or the day they lost/vanished.
PARIAMA means evolution/upgrade.
Ojas is a term used for spiritual energy. Like mana or qi.
(pls leave a comment if you like the story.)